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Chef Rob Gentile's Cavatelli Carbonara
12 hours 0 mins Prep Time
15 mins Cook Time
Freshly made cavatelli, tossed in a silky smooth sauce comprised of rich egg yolks, savoury guanciale, salty Pecorino and several cranks of freshly cracked black pepper -- that is a dish worth making. Confined to our homes, comfort food is king and what is possibly more satisfying than carbonara?
Chef Rob Gentile, owner of Buca restaurants, and his wife Audrey, a culinary arts graduate, both share a fiery passion for cooking, which they hope to showcase through virtual classes hosted on Audrey's site. The husband and wife duo believe that cooking together as a family and sharing their tips and tricks with the Toronto food community has never been more important. The pair swear that cooking has kept them sane in quarantine and guarantee all recipes are "nonna-approved".
Next up on The Sauce -- their cooking series -- the pair will demonstrate how to make fresh cavatelli, so make sure you sign up for the session happening May 3 at 2 p.m. Sessions happen every week at 2 p.m.
Along with co-hosting the cooking series, Chef Rob Gentile has been quite busy during quarantine. In addition to Buca still being open for takeout/delivery, Gentile is now offering DIY meal kits. Ready-to-make pasta and nodini kits are already available but the chef is soon to launch home pizza kits as well.
Note: The pasta dough is great for a multitude of pasta shapes including cavatelli, strascinati, trofie, maccarones inferrettati, orecchiette and stracenate rectangles. The dough makes 5 portions, while the sauce makes approximately 4 servings.
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If you give this recipe a shot, make sure to post up your creation on Instagram and tag @tastetoronto, @bucatoronto, @rob_gentile and @audrey_gentile!
Directions
Pasta Dough
4 Steps
Step 1
Add flour to a stainless steel bowl and create a well with a fork.
Step 2
Pour water into the center of the flour and work with the fork in circular motions until a dough comes together.
Step 3
Turn dough onto a counter top and knead until dough is smooth.
Step 4
Let rest overnight before working into your favourite pasta shapes.
Carbonara Sauce
11 Steps
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook pasta.
Step 2
In a large sauce pan, cook guanciale at medium high heat until golden brown.
Step 3
Reduce to low heat, add diced onions and sweat through until soft and translucent (approx. 3 minutes).
Step 4
Add white wine to deglaze and reduce heat to low until the alcohol is cooked out.
Step 5
Add pasta to pot with boiling salted water. If dry pasta, cook for half the time indicated on the package (approx. 5 minutes) as the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce. If using fresh pasta, remove from the water as soon as they come to the surface of the water using a perforated ladle.
Step 6
Once pasta is half-cooked, strain, keep 2-3 cups of leftover pasta water.
Step 7
Add strained pasta to large sauce pan with previously prepared ingredients. At medium heat, gradually add pasta water with a ladle for approx. 5 more minutes until sauce is absorbed and ingredients are well-combined.
Step 8
Remove from heat.
Step 9
Gradually sprinkle 1/4 cup grated pecorino while consistently tossing pasta.
Step 10
Add one egg yolk at a time and continue tossing. Warm eggs gently as too high a temperature will scramble the eggs. Pasta should have a creamy consistency.
Step 11
Once tossed, place pasta in large serving bowl, add salt to taste if necessary. Cover with remaining grated pecorino, garnish with fresh cracked pepper and serve.
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